CASPER — After outlining an alleged scheme that read more like a TV cop drama than real life in charging a local dealer of rare and valuable coins with allegedly conspiring with a thief to fake the theft of a $100,000 collection, the charges against Justin Wayne Foster have been dismissed.
Meanwhile, Foster told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday that the accusations, arrest and subsequent dropping of the charges have been a nightmare that has “destroyed my business.”
Court records show the Natrona County Attorney’s Office made a motion for dismissal Tuesday, which was granted.
Natrona County Attorney Dan Itzen said the reversal came as a Casper Police Department investigation into the case continued after the initial police affidavit that led to felony and misdemeanor charges against Foster.
“I think they continued to work the case and the further investigation they did there was a greater likelihood that we would not be able to meet our burden of beyond a reasonable doubt,” he said.
The decision to drop the case was done jointly “between the police department and this office,” Itzen said, adding he could not comment more specifically about what was discovered that led to the dismissal.
He also declined to say whether any other charges related to people involved in the case could be brought in the future.
A Wild Scheme, Allegedly
Foster, the owner of Colonial Coins and Currency, was facing charges of conspiracy to commit theft and false reporting related to up to $100,000 worth of a customer’s coins found missing from his house Jan. 8.
He called the police to report the theft and a subsequent police investigation alleged he conspired with a Mills man and known convicted burglar to take the coins.
Foster told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday the investigation ballooned into something he could not have imagined.
“I’m extremely disappointed with the police department and the city of Casper,” he said. “You go to them for help and this happens. They’ve destroyed my business with false accusations.”
The original police affidavit alleged that there was a phone conversation between Foster and the convicted thief Jan. 5 indicating that Foster’s house would be unlocked and nobody home 10-11 a.m. on Jan. 8.
The affidavit stated a private detective working on the case for the owner of the coins negotiated the return of the coins to the owner with the Mills man in return for the coin’s owner not pursuing any charges against the alleged thief.
Foster denied knowing the Mills man or being part of the theft, the original affidavit stated.
The conspiracy to commit theft charge dropped against Foster is a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 find or both. The false reporting charge is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
